Nils' New Friend
by Water Princess1
Summary: Nils has had a friend for a while now. How will the group handle it when his friend has to stay with them during their journey?
1. Prolouge

I've decided to try a NILS story! * gets booed * Hey! It's not THAT bad!!! T_T. I don't' own Fire Emblem. If I did, why do you think I'd be DOING this? Plus, then I'd actually have a job v_v.  
  
Prologue  
  
*  
  
Nils' reddish brown eyes scanned the camp. "Is there anyone near the food tent?" He pondered, as he sat near his and Ninian's tent. He looked around the tents, whistling. Perfect. No one was watching.  
  
He dashed off towards the food tent, hiding behind various objects as he went. The smell of delicious edibles was starting to fill Nils' nose. He grinned, and he couldn't' wait. He was almost there! Looking around for Marcus or Lowen - who either took guard around the tent or cooked, he noticed that Lowen was near-by. Uh-Oh! He had to think of something . . .  
  
Then he decided to casually walk in, see if he could take any for a snack, and walk back out as carefree as he came in. Forcing himself to walk, he made his way into the tent.  
  
There was Hector, Matthew and Eliwood. "I guess it's there turn to do dishes." Nils smirked. He smiled mainly because with Eliwood, he could get away with ANYTHING. Quietly gulping and wishing for luck from SOMEONE or something, he walked by the three dish-doers.  
  
Someone grabbed at his collar "HEY!!" Nils called out, suddenly yanked from the ground, and into the air. Darn it, Hector was the one that grabbed him.  
  
"And what would YOU be doing here at this time? We had dinner a while ago!" Hector eyed him carefully.  
  
"heh . . ." He started slowly. Sweat was starting down his forehead. "I guess I didn't have enough to eat . . . and I'm kinda hungry right now . . ."  
  
Hector and Matthew were now judging him. The thief was rubbing his chin, and looked at Hector.  
  
"Come on guys, just let him have something. It would be good to have less leftovers for tomorrow's dinner." Eliwood sighed. That was the third time this week. Quite frankly, he was starting to get suspicious of Nils. Why would he stop having as much at dinner, especially at the amount that Lowen cooked? It didn't' make much sense.  
  
The axe wielder looked at Eliwood for a slight moment, and then dropped Nils. "All right Eliwood. But if I catch this rat in here again, I'm gonna have to deal with him. Got that?"  
  
Nils smiled at Hector. "Thanks Hector!!" Quickly hugging what he could (which happened to be Hector's legs), and went and grabbed some food, and left the tent.  
  
After a small time, all three looked at each other. "You need to stop being so nice to Nils. He knows he can get away with ANYTHING when you're dragged into his messes." Matthew started on Hector's behalf.  
  
Eliwood sighed again. "I know that Matthew!"  
  
Hector started to tease. "Is it 'cause you like his sister, or you can't say no to kids?"  
  
"HEY!!"  
  
*  
  
"Avian!" He called out. He was now in a small group of trees, holding the food he got from the tent. "It's okay! No one followed me!"  
  
A head popped out of the bushes. The girl looked about ten years old, and had black hair. Her sky blue eyes showed fear in them. But they soon turned to relief, and she pulled herself out from her hiding place. She dusted off her grey dress, and walked up to Nils. The black hair ran down to her shoulders.  
  
She made a thank you gesture, and then started to eat the food slowly, trying to savor the taste. She probably didn't know the next time she would eat, so she had to remember what food tasted like.  
  
Nils sat on the ground next to her. "Still can't talk, huh?" He was trying to communicate with her. She shook her head, making Nils sigh. She gave him a worried look.  
  
"Oh, no no!! It's not like that!" He said, while waving one of his hands frantically. "It's just I'd like to hear a word from you, that's all!" Avian sighed. She seemed relieved.  
  
--- --- ---  
  
There. Just a prologue. So, what'd you think?  
  
Erk: Why are you writing a fic for NILS, of all people?!  
  
I want to give Nils a chance! Besides, then I can try a Ninian/Eliwood, and not just limit myself to Lyn/Eliwood. And it ticks off my sister since I'm doing a Ninian/Eliwood in this fic. XD Besides, you don't see any Ninian/Eliwood fics here.  
  
Nils: Yay! I have a fic!! ^______^  
  
Erk: -_-;;; 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
*  
  
Avian swallowed her last bite of food. Nils had been talking to her the whole time, and she listened to every word. Which was considered nice for him, because everyone else in the camp ignored him, or considered him unimportant enough to listen too. She seemed to listen on every word that he spoke, and that was gratifying to the young bard.  
  
Nils looked at the sky. It was getting pretty dark, fast. Ninian was going to worry about him. Not that she already did. But the more worried she got, the more the others got involved, and then he would get in big trouble. "I'd better get going Avian. I'll come back tomorrow morning, 'kay?"  
  
The little mute girl nodded her head vigorously. She had very little means of communication, so she used her head a lot. Literally.  
  
Nils got up and stretched. "You'd better get back to your hiding spot. I don't know what'd I say if the others found you!!" Avian nodded, and took off immediately. She leapt back into the mix of trees and bushes, and was invisible to the human eye.  
  
The young boy brushed himself off, and then left to go back to the rest of the group. He had to think of something to tell them – he couldn't just say he felt like walking through the woods. "Maybe I could say I lost something and had to go look for it. Then I got lost, and made my way back. Yeah, that'll work!!" He grinned as he walked along the forests' worn down dirt path. "Besides, I'm sure that SOME of them could care less about where I've been!" He added, immediately thinking of Hector and Raven.  
  
*  
  
"Where have you been, Nils?" Ninian asked him, as soon as he entered their shared tent.  
  
"I was going through the forest 'cause I lost something. I found it, but then I found out that I was lost. It took me a while before I finally came back out." He hoped that his cover story worked. He had used a lot of cover stories before, and about maybe 80% of them worked.  
  
"That's the fifth day you've gone into the forest!!" Ninian looked at her brother sternly as she asked.  
  
"Uh-Oh!! Uh . . ." His mind was racing to come up with an unsuspicious answer. "I had lost something five days ago, but I could never find it. I found it today."  
  
"What did you lose?"  
  
"This bell you gave me for my birthday that one year." He replied smoothly, pulling it out of his pocket. To make sure that this story worked; he had brushed it a little with dirt, to make it look like it had been in the forest for that long.  
  
Ninian was starting to think suspiciously of her brother. ". . . All right. But I don't want you to go into the forest again!! You'll make me go gray with worry before I reach my old age!!"  
  
Nils grinned. "Alright Ninian!!"  
  
Now he had to worry about getting to Avian. "How am I going to do that?" He was thinking as he was trying to get to sleep. But soon enough, sleep claimed him and he couldn't resist its power.  
  
*  
  
"I have a reason to think that Nils is hiding something." Raven was talking to Lucius at dinner. No one really bothered to talk to the red-haired mercenary, so he could always talk in private.  
  
"Why would someone as young as Nils want to hide something?" Priscilla looked at her brother with questioning eyes.  
  
"He keeps going into the forest after meals. He takes food in there, and then comes back without any."  
  
Lucius slurped his soup quietly before making a reply. "Well, maybe he just wants to eat in privacy. You know how it is being the only one here that's HIS age!!"  
  
Raven snorted. "Somehow, I doubt that. Rebecca is pretty close to his age. She's maybe a couple years older then him." He took a bite out of a bun, chewed and swallowed before continuing. "The only reason I could think of when he has to sneak out food is if he has a pet, or he's caring for someone following us."  
  
Priscilla sighed, and rested her head on her hands. Then decided to add her two coins. "Hmm . . . I guess the only way to find out is to follow him!"  
  
"That would be an invasion of privacy!!" Lucius said right back at her, a shocked look on his face.  
  
On the other side of the eating area, Nils glanced around before sneaking two buns under the table, and into his pockets. "Better save these for Avian . . ."  
  
*  
  
The little girls' stomach rumbled again. Clutching it, she had to remind herself to find some other food while waiting for Nils. Falling back on her reverse side, she sighed. "Nils should've arrived about an hour ago!!" She thought, scrounging through a near-by bush.  
  
"Avian!! Avian!! Sorry I'm late!!" It was Nils' voice!! Her head poked up from the bush, leaving Nils to stare at a pair of worried, and hungry, eyes.  
  
"I think they're getting suspicious of me. Hector was watching me leave for the forest. He was also wondering why my pockets were stuffed." He explained, while pulling the two buns out of his pockets. "Sorry it's so little. I couldn't try risking more then that."  
  
She smiled, and patted him on the lap, trying to reassure him that it was all right. Then she started eating one of the buns, and smiling. Nils liked it when she smiled.  
  
The young bard sighed though. "I don't know how long I can keep this up. I just might have to introduce you to them. Or maybe we could head back to Ostia . . ."  
  
Avian immediately curled up and shook her head. Arms wrapped around her legs, she made it positive that she didn't want to go back to Ostia.  
  
Nils huffed. "Well then what are we gonna do?"  
  
The girl just shrugged, and started on the second bun.  
  
Matthew and Legualt were hiding behind a couple trees. "So that's who Nils has been seeing in the forest . . ." They both thought, and left. Time to go tell Lyn, Hector or Eliwood.  
  
--- --- ---  
  
Ta-daa! The next chappie! ^_^. I like this fic already!  
  
Kent: If you didn't like it, then why would you be typing it?  
  
. . . . Whatever.  
  
Nils: Please review! Pretty please with a cherry on top? Pwease? * uses puppy dog eye *  
  
Erk: Run!!! * dashes off *  
  
-_-; 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
"Nils has a little friend? That would explain why he has been going into the forest with food . . . did they see you?" Hector was talking with Matthew, who had just explained everything concerning Nils to him.  
  
"No! I'm not THAT bad a spy!! . . . . I did see Legault though. He was probably curious. Or maybe Raven sent him. You know how that mercenary hates the kid." Matthew replied, and crossed his arms, sighing afterwards.  
  
"I think the only thing preventing him from killing Nils is Eliwood. He says that if anyone hurts Ninian's brother, then they would have to leave the army and all that. I personally think that he's trying to show off to Ninian though. . ." The young lord laughed. His thief companion laughed with him.  
  
()  
  
Guy was walking around the camp, obviously bored out of his skull. They hadn't moved in DAYS!!! They had just left small port town near Valor, and progress was going slower then a snail! It was driving many of the group either crazy, angry or both. It wasn't a good sight to see Raven angry.  
  
"I know what you're thinking Guy. Erk has already complained to Ainda, Lyn, Hector and Eliwood. Lyn says that they should be moving in about a day or so. We just need to verify our information." Lucius tried to convince the young myrmidon. Guy was still looking at him like he was nuts. And he looked cramped, in a sort of way.  
  
"AUGH!!! THIS IS DRIVING ME CRRAAAAZY!!!!" Guy screamed into the sky. That brought everyone's attention over to him. He looked around, and sighed. "Buh-bye now!" Then he dashed off. Then everyone was looking at Lucius.  
  
"Ummm . . . hi!"  
  
"Oh, it's just Lucius."  
  
The gender challenged monk then sighed. "Why is my life like this?" He thought, as he walked off to his tent. It was time for him to pray to St. Elimine to probably get everyone to stop calling him a girl. Who knows what he prays for?  
  
()  
  
Shuff shuff shuff. Something was crawling through the bushes. Looking through all the plants, the small child looked at the small army. Avian sighed. They seemed like a some-what extended family! If only she had a family . . .. She really wished she could have one again . . ..  
  
"PSSST!! What are you doing this close to the camp?" Nils asked her urgently. He knew that she couldn't respond, but he felt like asking anyway. I guess it made him feel better or something.  
  
The young girl just sighed. "I know . . ." He patted her on the back. "I want to introduce you to them!!! . . . . Let's go back, and I'll give you some food! How's that?"  
  
Avian nodded slowly. She was creeping through the bushes like an animal, or even a thief. Time did that to ya, when you had to live in there for about half your life. You'd be good at sneaking around too.  
  
()  
  
Nils' flute played its music throughout the battlefield. Bandits had come and attacked them during the night – fortunately there were some people on night watch (Guy, Canas and Fiora), and now they had to fight for their lives. Some of them were knocked unconscious before the night watch noticed the bandits, so there were about 9 fighting party members. Nils was one of them.  
  
"How could they've come up against us during the middle of the night?" Hector hissed to Lyn, as their weapons finished the lives of two more bandits.  
  
Lyn wiped her forehead free of sweat. "I don't know, Hector! But they've incapacitated the others, and we can't get any help! We'll have to ride this out!"  
  
"We don't have any healers available!!" Hector cussed in frustration, taking his anger out on a couple more bandits.  
  
"Behaving like that won't get us ANYWHERE!!"  
  
Thunder was heard again. Erk must've been one of the few fighters there. "Heh . . . These bandits are TOO easy! I would've expected more of a challenge!" The young anima mage thought, as his spell did its job. "We should be through them faster then a knife through bread!"  
  
Some heavy footsteps came from behind Erk. "I wouldn't count on THAT, mage!!" Erk quickly turned, and barely got hit by an axe. Blood spread from his arm into his clothes quickly, and he hit the ground after falling from the axes impact.  
  
The bandit turned around, after feeling some pain in his back. Matthew had just pulled his sword out from the bandits' back, and was starting to back away.  
  
"You won't get away THAT easily!" Another bandit had come up to Matthew, and hit him in the back of the head.  
  
"Matthew!"  
  
The bandit fell over dead, courtesy of Legault's small blade. Matthew looked up at him, after wiping off some fresh blood from his eyesight. The Hurricane just smiled at him, and dashed off, leaving Matthew to figure out what to do next.  
  
"heh . . . Looky what I have here!!" The main bandit, who was named Aaron, had just gotten a hold of someone, and was now giving that person a headlock.  
  
It was Avian.  
  
Nils looked scared, frightened, and felt those emotions. "Avian!!"  
  
"WHO?!" Lyn, Hector (who wasn't as surprised as the others), Fiora, Erk and Canas exclaimed simultaneously.  
  
"Uhh . . ." Nils sweat dropped (this: ;), worried about what he would have to explain to everyone once this fight was over.  
  
If they lived by the end of the battle, anyway.  
  
Her pleading eyes looked at the rest of the weary group. They seemed to look at everyone, begging to be set free.  
  
"Look at that poor kid! We have to help her!" Fiora exclaimed, immediately feeling sorry, and gaining a position on her Pegasus.  
  
Aaron grinned. "Hmmm . . . I'll let this kid live, if you give us your valuables!"  
  
They looked at him like they were hiding a laugh. But that's what Hector did. Everyone ELSE, however, just tried to slip away from him, and tried to pretend like they never met the man.  
  
Aaron sighed. "THIS IS A YOUNG GIRL'S LIFE AT STAKE!!! DON'T YOU WANT TO SAVE THIS KID?!!"  
  
It was Lyn's turn to sigh. "I think I can take you out, without that girl getting harmed."  
  
The bandit just started laughing like he was crazy after hearing that, and thinking for a bit. "You must be nuts! A woman like YOU?! Don't make me die from laughter!!"  
  
She gripped her Mani Katti. "You're gonna be sorry!" She smiled sweetly at him. Before Aaron knew it, there was a blizzard of blades, and he fell over dead.  
  
The small girl got herself off the ground, and ran over to them, hiding behind Hector, and she started to shiver in fear.  
  
"Figures, she hides behind ME" Hector thought, sounding a teensy bit ticked off.  
  
"AAH!!! AARON'S DEAD!!!"  
  
"RUN AWAY!!" They all started screaming. Without a leader, they were like a chicken without a head. In only a few minutes, the entire battlefield was completely rid of bandits, leaving only Hector and Eliwood's group left.  
  
After a long pause, Lyn walked up to Avian and asked her who she was. Avian remained silent.  
  
"So, who exactly is she, Nils?" Hector smirked.  
  
--- --- ---  
  
Hey, I updated! Better late then never!  
  
Nils: TT Now everyone's probably forgotten about this story.  
  
Hector: Whiny little brat . . . 


End file.
